Experimental and numerical studies on ribbed bracing system

摘要

Ribbed bracing system (RBS) is an innovative structural system designed to eliminate the buckling of braces and enhance the behavior of structures under seismic loads. In this study, a collaborative performance of 2 RBS devices bracing a frame was assessed numerically and experimentally. In the numerical phase, the collaboration of ribbed braces at various stages of reversal loading was elaborated mathematically and was used for representing the system using finite element modeling. In the next phase, the numerically observed behavior was validated experimentally by conducting cyclic quasistatic tests of the proposed configurations. Two alternative RBS configurationscalled completely closed (CC) and improved centering (IC)were considered in this regard. Various characteristics of CC- and IC-RBS configurations were evaluated using validated methods, after which they were compared against configurations of concentrically braced frames and buckling-restrained braces. The stiffness and the energy absorption capacity of CC-RBS configuration were shown to exceed all the considered bracing types. IC-RBS, on the other hand, showed the lowest residual drift. The CC-RBS configuration was also shown to have excellent performance under moderate loadings experienced under service level.